Reviewing my views

It has been a minute since I reviewed my views on things. I think it's important to write down your views to understand what you believe, to really put it in a place where it can be read, thought about, and considered. I don't write my views to tell anyone else their views are wrong. You are entitled to your own opinion.

My libertarian left-leaning feminist part-time SJW wife doesn't agree with everything, but she agrees with fundamental things that allow us to find a place to still be happy. When I started looking into politics it started problems with us. She was afraid that my new awakening was putting us at odds. In some ways it was. I had to examine my views in these things to know what I believed so we could have a discussion and work some things out. We did, and found that things we thought were problems weren't, we believed the same. Or in the case of gay marriage, while she doesn't support it, she would happily go to the wedding of our wonderful friend, should he find someone to marry.

As I said before, I watched a  lot of politics and found myself to be a middle of the line conservative libertarian, but that doesn't really describe what I believe, so here goes: (removed inset bullets for easier read on mobile)


I now favor homeschooling above public schooling. I understand it better. My twin daughters will be homeschooled. And my next child, when they come, too. I suppose this depends on the parent that will be doing the teaching, but many programs exist to give the parents the tools they need, and homeschool co-ops are a wonderful chance for homeschool families to share teaching. My wife can teach music lessons, english, and history, and I can teach math, art, and science. We can take the children to the co-ops to fill in other areas where we are weak. It's wonderful.

I am a fan of individual freedoms.

• I believe in your right to work in any field you want.
• I believe in your right to believe any religion you want.
• I believe in your right to follow any political path you want.
• I believe in your right to live in any country you want.
• I believe in your right to take any drug you want.
• I believe in your right to think anything you want.
• I believe in the right of free speech, and I also believe in the consequences of saying something stupid publicly. 
• Roseanne recently said something offensive. Don't remember what it was, but so far as I remember, Roseanne always says something offensive. ABC cut her show. That's too bad, I liked the original Roseanne show, and never even got to see this one.
• James Gunn said some very awful things a long time ago, and apologized for them. Those things were said before he got his job at Disney, but I don't know about the apology. Yes, they were horrific, awful things. He has been good since, and I love his movies. 
• He stated that Roseanne has a right to say the things she said, which she does, and ABC doesn't have to carry her show, which they don't. 
• Gunn and Disney have the same rights.
• I think how he has behaved since shows true growth.
• I bet Gunn understands irony better than ever.
• Basically, public life is a hard one, because you have to constantly watch what you say. I don't know if I'm satisfied on where my stance is on these two people. I think I would support them both getting their jobs back.

I believe that hate speech is still speech, and in this country we have that right. You also have the right not to listen, to walk away, or to argue.

• You do not have the right to attack. Your rights end where another's begin.
• I think hate speech stems from ignorance. Once you get to know the person as an individual, it's harder to hate them.
• Prison is full of white supremacists. I knew some. I didn't buy in. But I saw at the lunch table a black man sitting with a white man who was part of the Arian Knights. This was during receiving. They were becoming friends, cellies I bet (that means roommate) and the black guy had concerns:
• "When we get out of RDU, are you going to hate me because I'm black?"
•  The AK waved it off, "Naw, man. That's just for survival. I don't really believe that. We're cool."
• Many white supremacists love the movie American History X because of the Arian brotherhood / Neo-Nazi scenes at the beginning. What they seem to forget is that the rest of the movie is about recognizing that bigotry and hatred is stupid. Ed Norton's character works with a black man in the laundry, and they begin to be good friends. He is attacked and victimized by the white supremacists that were supposed to be his brothers in arms. He leaves the culture behind and when he gets out, and his friends try to drag him back, he sees the ignorance and the hatred that shaped his life and sent him to prison and he wants nothing to do with it. That is the true message of American History X.

I believe people can change and overcome their past. I have, having rebuilt my life three times now from really bad decisions. My wife is a missionary for the LDS Church's Addiction Recovery Program and we have seen great things happen as addicts get help.

I believe that talking about issues, such as racism, does not make someone a bigot.

• Papa John was discussing with his board of directors the awful biggoted comments other people said, and was called a racist and released from two jobs. If we can't even talk about it we have bigger problems.

I believe that you don't have the right to force your beliefs on me or anyone. Your rights end where another's begin.

I support Gay Marriage.

• That one is tricky for me. 
• The LDS Church supports marriage, and believes, based on the Bible and God's revelations, that homosexuality is a sin. They say that a gay couple that marries, in order to be worthy, should remain celibate.
• If I were gay, there would be no way I could be celibate with the person I love.
• I have several gay friends, and I could not ever imagine standing up to say that they don't have a right to pursue happiness, to find love, or have sex. I am at odds with the church in this, and I guess that's okay. I love both, and I love the church for standing up for their beliefs. 

I support my adult friend's decision to transition from male to female. I love her no matter what she wears or what pronouns she wants me to use. I worry about the high level of trans suicide, upwards of 40%, and don't wish that on anyone. Jasmine is an adult, and if it makes her happy, good for her.

I do not support teaching children that they can choose their gender, or that gender is a social construct, or that men and women are the same.

I believe men and women have roles to play in families.

• I believe children are best served by learning those roles and following the model.
• I believe that children grow up happiest and most well adjusted with fathers and mothers in the home to teach them right from wrong, and without the confusion of calling them neutral pronouns until they are 4 or 5 and letting them choose before they go to school, when they barely understand the world around them. 
• I believe that my son can play with dolls, that my daughters can play with trucks. I also believe that children have natural desires to play with certain toys, and if my son picks up a doll I will not then wrongly assume he has decided to be a girl and put him in a dress. Likewise, if my daughters are playing dress-up and put my son in a dress, it won't destroy his psyche or turn him into a girl. 
• My wife and I, because we recently had this discussion after I watched way too much political stuff, spoke about this. She helped to remind me that make-believe play isn't something that defines life-long characteristics. I have played female characters in video games, table top rpgs, and the NPCs in the games I run. It doesn't change who I am.
• Men have physiological differences about them that make them men, including bone structure and muscle build. While men come in many shapes and sizes, this is still a truth.
• Women have physiological differences about them that make them women. Bone structure and muscle build are only two of them. The same is true, different shapes and sizes doesn't stop them from being women.
• I believe that both are necessary in society. I believe that the differences are necessary. I believe that when we snuff out the differences we lose what makes being men or women beautiful and unique.
• I believe gay couples that have children can show children similar lessons that straight couples teach: respect and love for your partner, respect and love for your children.
• i believe that there are some things that it would be helpful to have a male or female godparent to assist if there is a missing role in the couple. I am not trying to say that men cannot fill a woman's role, or vice versa. None of my gay friends are married, or have children, so I don't know enough about this situation. But I do still feel that men and women are different, and children do best with both roles filled.

I love my country and hate my government.

• I don't really like Trump. Never did. Think he's a total ass. 
• I don't know if he's a traitor, and I think that the Left wants everyone to think that. 
• I think that his policies are not the same as his rhetoric. 
• I think he's a shock-value TV star, that he likes to be that way. 
• Sage (previous wife) and I voted Obama because he promised change, not because of his race.
• I would have voted Nader if I could. Or Ron Paul.
• This time I would have voted for pretty much anyone else besides Clinton or Trump. It had nothing to do with Clinton being a woman, she's just an awful human being.
• So is Trump.
• So is Giuliani
• I wouldn't have voted for Romney, either. It has nothing to do with his faith. We share the same faith. I think that he's a plank of wood that is disconnected from the people. 

I don't believe that a person of faith is bad for the country. The Pope didn't run the country when Kennedy was president, President Nelson wouldn't run the country if there was a Mormon in the office.

• I sustain our President and hope he does the right things for the country.
• I will hope the next president, being D or R, male or female, straight or gay, black or brown or red or yellow or white or whatever, will also do what is right for the country.
• I thought we were pretty great to begin with.

Socialism is a terrible idea.

• This coming from the guy that has socialized health care from the VA.
• This coming from the Mormon that believes one day we will all live the law of consecration, which is basically socialism.
• The difference is that it will be run by Jesus and God, not by mortals that have flaws and weaknesses. 
• All the current socialism countries are barely hanging on, starving their people, have tax rates that are unsustainable. The money has to come from somewhere. It's good in theory, but so far the practice has proven to be a really bad idea. 
• Until something better is developed, I'm happy to be a Capitalist and work for what I have. 

I don't support open borders.

• This one is a tough one. I believe that undocumented workers fill a role in our society. There are jobs they are willing to do that people like me are not. 
• I know refugees need a place of refuge. The city I live in has always been a place of refuge. Basque, Korean, there were some from some Soviet country awhile back, and now the new refugees. I can't remember what culture. They wear long beautiful robes and walk everywhere. Nice people.
• I think I still support the citizen vs non-citizen approach. Maybe not as I did way back when I started this blog, but similar.
• Those that want to come here and work, that do the farm work and construction work that I don't want to do, should be given non-citizen visas and be allowed to work. 
• This visa does not grant them a right to vote,  or healthcare. I think that charity organizations would rise to support their needs and provide health care. I don't think that it should be paid for by the state.
• Those that commit grievous crimes should be sent back to their country. If they return, well, that is something I still have to think about.

I believe in rehabilitation instead of incarceration.

• That being said, prison was the best thing that ever happened to me. It gave me the opportunity to step away from what I was doing and get the help I needed so my addictions don't control me.
• I know that isn't the same for everyone.
• I guess I think that incarceration during rehabilitation is the best way. But warehousing us isn't the answer. I'm sure there's statistics on all this, and I'm pretty sure they agree with me.
• ARP, AA, NA are wonderful programs when you work them. A better life.

I support equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome.

• Redistribution of wealth is stealing.
• We have opportunity in this country. 
• I'm a felon that spent 8-1/2 years in prison and 10 years on parole. I have two businesses, a home, a family. I've been married three times and divorced twice. I grew up very poor. I've been to college (and I'm still paying for it). I don't wait for the government to give me anything, I go out and make it myself. I don't blame anyone for my bad decisions that hurt my family and friends and sent me to prison. Those were my bad decisions. No one made me think those things or do those things. I spent the last 18-1/2 years in recovery from my addiction and repentance for my sins. Change happens, just not over night.
• Go out and make yours, don't steal it.

I believe that businesses have the right to refuse service to anyone. Individual freedoms still stand.

• Why would you want to shop at a business that doesn't agree with your values?
• This stems from the cake decorators that wouldn't make the cake for the gay couple.
• This stems from the couple that made all the invitations and decorations, but didn't want to have the wedding in their home or be a part of it because they didn't support gay marriage. 
• Your rights end where another's begin.

I don't agree with abortion. I think that life begins at conception and that a woman's choice to do what she wants with her body does not extend to the body that she carries within her. Once the baby is born, she can go do whatever she wants with her body. Your rights end where another's begin. That includes a baby.

• If you don't want a baby, use protection. Take the pill. Abstain. Wear a condom. Get snipped. 
• You have choices. That child does not.
• Adoption is an option. 

I don't believe in micro-aggression. I think this buzz word was created to make people victims by claiming their victimhood as a weapon against those that don't agree with them.

• A person that doesn't use specified pronouns is not committing an act of violence.
• I do not have the right to force speech on anyone.
• I don't have a right to not be offended. If I expect anyone who speaks to not offend, then no one can speak. 
• There is no safe space. 
• Hard speech makes us tough. It builds that outer defensive shell that helps us to handle tough things. 
• I learned this in the Marines. 
• First, by working my body to make it stronger. 
• Second, by working my voice to make it louder. 
• Third, by the stress the Drill Instructors put on me and my fellow Marines so we could handle the pressures of battle. 
• You can't request a safe space from an enemy. You will die. 
• Toughen your skin, recognize that not everyone believes the same things you do, and accept that. 
• I believe that if you claim victimhood in everything, you will have a miserable life. 

I am a straight, white, male. I was born white, I was born male. I have no desire to change either. I love my wife, my children, my pets, Jesus, the LDS church, Star Wars, RPGs, books, good pens, candy, pizza, and all my various hobbies.

• I want to homestead, build my house out of papercrete, have a sustainable self-sufficient piece of property with goats, rabbits, chickens, and a garden.

I believe happiness is found in achievement, overcoming, and growth. Do not be comfortable in your current surroundings, or you will be there forever. Be better than the labels placed on you. Strive to make it so.

What are your views? Do you agree? Disagree? Let's keep it civil. I think we can share ideas without calling names. Have you tried this? writing down your views? Link them in the comments and I'll read them. I welcome an open exchange of ideas.

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The dangers of Politics

I have never been interested in politics. For a time when Obama was running for president Sage and I did our due diligence and studied up. We were most interested in Ron Paul, but he was basically laughed off the stage at the debates, so we voted Obama because he was charismatic and promised change. I have no idea if there was really change, but I didn't believe all the hype that the other side threw at him. Whatever. I was away for his term. Presidents don't mean much in prison.

Star Wars has always been big in my life. I love the movies, the books, and my favorite RPG is Star Wars Saga Edition by WOTC. I know it's scattered all over all the books, but that's why I condensed the feats, talents, and races into their individual books. A project of love for the game I enjoy most.

What does SW have to do with politics, you may ask?

Three words: The Last Jedi.

I'm sure you've heard the debate. Fans didn't like it so they spoke up, said, "Hey, Rey is a Mary Sue. She has no growth, you set her up as unbeatable with absolutely no training." "Hey, Why did you make Finn into a joke?" "Why the hell would you make a huge change like the weaponization of hyperspace??!! That changes everything!! What the hell are you doing??!!", and in response directors called us names like misogynists, manbabies, racists, and dismissed the criticism; media attacked the fans, calling us toxic white males and saying we are racist woman haters, and it's too bad that the reality didn't live up to the story in our heads.

Still don't see the politics? Neither did I. I was mad enough about the way LucasFilm was treating us. And then I watched Alex Becker's video on SJW politics in Star Wars and I had no idea what an SJW was. I had to look it up. And then I had to follow the trail down the rabbit hole to learn more.

Have you ever watched the movie or read the book Flowers for Algernon? SPOILER ALERT: Charlie is mentally challenged and becomes the test subject for some scientists working on brain enhancements. (See also: Lawnmower Man.) Charlie gets smarter, but then he gets so smart he starts to recognize his own superiority to the scientists. He gets resentful. He gets angry. Then the drugs start to wear out and he goes back to being hapless, innocent ol' Charlie again.

I wish I could go back to my ignorance. My research has made it clear that I am pretty conservative in many things, and that has set me at odds at some points with my wife, who is a self proclaimed feminist and part time social justice warrior herself, though not to the degree as some of the leftists I see online. We had to have a serious sit down discussion to sort through our views and make sure they were still in line for the raising of our children. That was a tough couple days.

And finally, to wrap it all up, my knowledge of SJW politics still does not always come to mind when I post things online. On my twitter feed I posted this:

And you can see at the bottom that it got one retweet. Fantastic! I only have 8 followers, and this guy has 460 something. So maybe someone would click the pic, like it, and buy the shirt. It'd be free advertising. I followed them to give my support.

But then over the last couple days I started paying attention to what this person was posting, and I realized I made a mistake thinking this was a good thing. I mean, I was wondering why they didn't like the post if they retweeted it, and I noticed that no one had gone to my store. That's when I started to pay attention to the stuff they were posting and retweeting. OMH! This person didn't like my post... they hated my post. They are vegan animal activists and I just posted a pic of a crazy naked dude pouring the blood of a squirrel into a bowl to use in a sacrificial magic ritual.

And that's when it hit me, politics is everywhere.

So, buy my shirt if you like it, don't if you don't.
If you buy it from here I'll even give you free shipping.
Use promo code: BlitzHobbyFS at checkout.

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Been too long

it has been far too long.

I dropped off suddenly for reasons that don't matter anymore. Let's catch up:

• That girlfriend that I got? I married her. We had twin baby girls. We took them to the temple and were sealed to them. They'll be a year in September.
• I own two businesses, partner in one, Soul (snicker) proprietor in the other.
• I put one of my designs on a t-shirt, you've seen this in the art page:
• 
• We are selling her house and buying land and I get to finally build my papercrete house =D
• I've watched way too much politics the last several months... but i'll get to that later.
• I am still running D&D... a family game for my in-laws and going to start another for some friends. I have so many games that I have never been able to play because everyone wants to go the safe route with freaking D&D!! gah! oh well. least it's playing.

If you're still out there, thank you for reading. I'll post more often.

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I'm in like with a crazy person

Sometimes it feels like I only fall for the crazy ones. That can be okay, it adds variety and spontaneity, and there's never a dull moment.
The girl I'm into now is into me, too, but has reservations that I don't fully understand yet. I've written her two songs. Here's one, the other is just for her:

My Kind of Crazy

Haven't had the best of luck
Finding a girl for life
Each one ends up with something wrong
Don't make a very good wife

Well, I kissed a lot of toads
On my way to my Miss Right
Thought I'd ever be alone
Till I kissed you that night

(Chorus)
Not sayin' that you're perfect
Not sayin' that you're the best
Just sayin' I sure like you
Better than the rest
You're my kind of crazy

And we both got our troubles
We've both had broken hearts
True, I really don't know you
What I do is a really good start

I ain't sayin' it'll be easy
Baby, that's the truth
But I know it'll be worth it
So long as I'm with you

Not sayin' that you're perfect
Not sayin' that you're the best
Just sayin' I sure like you
Better than the rest
You're my kind of crazy

(Bridge)
Well, you went and pushed me away
'Fore I could shove you first
If that's a relationship to you
It hasn't been my worst

Just gimme the chance I'm asking for
The chance to treat you right
I promise it won't last
For only just one night

Not sayin' that you're perfect
Not sayin' that you're the best
Just sayin' I sure like you
Better than the rest
You're my kind of crazy

I kissed you that night
It hasn't been my worst
You're my kind of crazy.

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IT'ers Unite!

Why do they think they can do this to us?

Desktop Support Technician (IT)
Seeking part-time Desktop Support Technician to begin as a trial 90 day position in [undisclosed location]. It is possible the position will become permanent placement. Candidate must possess the technical skills to learn to install door strikes & other RFID access control equipment and terminate network cables.
Essential Job Responsibilities:

• Install and maintain any and all equipment and software, i.e., network servers, workstations, printers, routers, modems, switched, network, Mac & PC operating systems, e-mail, and any other equipment necessary.
• Must be able to run all necessary network cable and make proper terminations.
• Maintain and accurate inventory of all hardware and software.
• May be responsible for system administration which includes applications, operating systems and hardware.
• May be responsible for patching or security updates of applications of operating systems.
• May be responsible for back up and restoration of all IT equipment and systems.
• Complete all assigned help desk work orders to complete satisfaction.
• May be responsible for processing technology requisitions.
• Configure new and troubleshoot existing VOIP phones on network.
• Ability to install new, maintain and troubleshoot RFID Door access controls.
• Perform other duties when required.

Successful candidate should possess the following:

• High School diploma or equivalent.
• 2 year Computer Science Degree. 'This alone is worth at least 15/hr.
• 1-2 years of similar experience. 'Op, bump it to 17.50/hr.
• 4 years of similar experience without a degree.
• Industry standard certifications are preferred i.e., A+, Network+, MCSE, CCNA '22-35$/hr
• Must have high level of accuracy and great attention to detail.
• Must exhibit high degree of professionalism and confidentiality in handling and having access to sensitive information.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office

Hours will be 20-25 per week, Monday-Friday.
Please email resume. If interested, we will contact you to schedule an interview. Interviews will be conducted via Fuze software.
Position does not come with health or retirement benefits or vacation, holiday or sick pay. 'How about shove it up your arse? How does that sound?
$12.00-$12.50 DOE 'Oh, and the kicker. Not only do you not get benefits, but you don't really get paid, either.

Do not stand for this ourage! Do not take their job without a real wage. You may be able to do the job without the benefits, but don't do it without the pay, or companies will take serious advantage of us.
And this isn't the only one of them out there! I saw another very similar on craigslist that paid 11-14 and wanted even more. Tell them to piss off until they realize they can't do the job without us and they have to pay us a fair wage. Retail stores are upping their pay to 10-15$ for stocking shelves and cashing people out. Tech jobs are getting their asses handed to them by retail!
Ok, rant over.

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Fixing a Broken Home... and chainmaille

It has been a few days.. or maybe a week.. since I last posted. Any good reason why? no, not so much. Busy with IRL stuff.. work, wife, etc. My son is coming up from his mother's for the summer.. he'll be here in June, and I spent the weekend tearing out the bad carpet and remaining sheetrock /wood from the flood 2 years ago. Did I mention I procrastinate?

He wants that downstairs room that flooded, so I am going to do my best to have it somewhat ready for him. Next I need to coat the entire place in bleach and give it a good scrub, then seal the concrete to hopefully keep it from leaking again. Really, I need to dig out the wall from the outside and repair it there, but that means renting a small back hoe and being careful not to destroy my installed sprinkler system. doesn't sound fun so far.

Once the room is properly sealed (like i said.. dig it out..), i need to rebuild the walls. Only this time I'm not going to rebuild them as they were, 10" out from the concrete and totally open, I'm going to put up a wall to separate it and make it into a real bedroom. The old closet that used to take up the entire walkway to the laundry room is gone now, and I can use it as hallway space, running the wall over to the other side of the window.

This is a rough floorplan of the front of the basement (done in mspaint). The crooked line with the door in front of the window is going to be the wall i put in. Yes, it will most likely be crooked, as in not 90 degrees off the wall. Why? because i need to have the window be inside the bedroom for fire code and the entry to the laundry room (circle and two squares) isn't exactly in the best place.

Other things.

I received my arbor and blades from The Ring Lord in the mail. This will allow me to cut my own coils into rings. Yay! This weekend when the weather was beautiful I went outside at 8 in the morning and built myself a coil cutter stand. I'll put up pics later. Basically its a bunch of wood with a block of wood that has a hole drilled in it so i can drop the coils down. The drill will hold the blade into a notch that enters the hole where the coils are and i push the coils down onto the saw blade, and rings fall out the bottom into a cup. It works really well. i cut half my coil this weekend. Just wanted to make sure it was working right. Now I go back to my mandrell and make more coils so i can make more rings so i can make my hauberk (see the other posts on chainmaille to compare notes.)

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Monday is the new Wednesday!

Welcome to Blitz Hobby-ing -dot- Com!

There. Finally. The DNS has completed replication and all blog pages are go. I've uploaded the template and have the majority of the links and sidebars complete. More will be moved around and added as we go, so thank you for your patience. I still have to notify my affiliates (rpgbloggers.com and blogcatalog.com) of the changes, so it may be a little while before things start posting on the correct feeds. and there is still a matter of migrating the old feeds off this page and into the new catagories, which could take awhile. Maybe i'll just do the last six months or a year or something.

Sage is still doing up some title bars to add a splash of color, so i'll get those posted soon.

Anyhow, leave me comments on what you think of the new site. is it readable, easy to nav, etc. ? is there more of something you would like to see?

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Monday... not ready yet

Ok, so it wasn't ready on monday. I found that I had put webforwards in my DNS instead of CNAMEs. Silly me. In a rush to finish up before a long weekend. Oh well. It will prolly be done by Wednesday. That will give me a couple more days to prepare the other pages, being that its a pain to upload templates lately in blogger. Here's a link for how to fix the BX--- errors on blogger, for any of you having the same issue.

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That was quick

Check back monday (about how long it should take for zone edit and godaddy to get their act together) for news about the progress of the update. i picked up www.blitzhobbying.com and that will be the new aggregate site. It's going to feed all the other pages. I've currently separated them into the following catagories:

• Art
• Comics
• Hobbies
• Personal
  
• Reviews
• RPGs
• Writing

There will be links at the top of each page to each other site and feeds will be displayed on the main www site. It's going to take me a little time to move all the posts, but I think when it's done it will be worth the wait.

blog.markofcain.us will be directed to the main www site to make it easy for those who are currently reading to continue.

--SE

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Direction

My few readers may have noticed a shockingly different facelift here, and I am quite pleased with it. yes, i pulled it from a free template site, but meh. I liked it (after a few color changes... default is ... pink.) This isn't going to be the last of the changes, however. I'm going to be separating things... adding additional pages that will focus on the different directions I tend to go so that readers can find what they are looking for and not have to wade thru what they don't care about.

This desire to alter my virtual home was inspired by another blogger. I was over at RoleplayingPro just now and read Samuel's post on What do Gamers want from Gaming Blogs. Very good question. I started thinking about the readers that came to my blog and what they looked at/commented on while they were here. That naturally lead my blitzy brain into additional thinking and now I need to segment my blog into various sections to respond to each situation.

For one, my video game reviews. Video Gamers that come to check out my reviews may not be all that interested in: my personal home life; the people I knew in prison; my creative writing attempts; my webcomic work; my various hobbies. Each of these things is getting its own page. I'm going to create a main page that will feedblast each section, and readers can choose which they want.

I'm also considering a domain change. i've had markofcain.us for awhile now, so that's why i've been using it, but now that i've picked the Blitz Hobby-ing title, i think its time to search for a more relevant address.

So in the future, look for big changes here at Blitz Hobby-ing. If you have suggestions or recommendations, leave me a comment.

--SE

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Review: Blue Dragon Plus for Nintendo DS

When i let the dogs out this morning, i found a plain yellow padded envelope on the front porch with a big UPS Ground label on the front. Inside was a nice letter from the marketing agency, thanking me for taking the time for the review and reminding me to find their web tool online and let them know when the review was posted; and the game: Blue Dragon Plus for the Nintendo DS.

My DS was dead from way too much Animal Crossing: Wild World over the last couple days, so it took me a few hours before i was set up to try Blue Dragon Plus.

But i'm probably getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning. This is my first video game review, and i was surprised even to be asked to take part, but i want to make sure i do a thorough job and be fair.

I will say up front that i was not influenced by the marketing agency that asked me to review the game in any way. the fact that the game was shipped to me for free, i can only assume, is the standard in reviews, as evidenced from Penny Arcade and Ctrl+Alt+Del mentioning in their blog that such-and-such publisher sent them random-game to review.

I refrained from loading up the original Blue Dragon on my 360 while waiting for this game, wanting to go into the review fresh and perhaps as if i had never even played it. It has been about a year since i played the 360 game, and i couldn't remember much, so I'm off to a good start.

I also refrained from reading any other reviews or watching trailers of Blue Dragon Plus, so as not to be influenced by anything except my own experience.

The other thing I refrained from was the instruction booklet. I had two reasons for this:

• One - As a man, I have a natural aversion to instruction booklets.

• Two - I wanted to really know how intuitive this game was. Would it have controls easy to guess and navigate, or would it be incredibly complex and require remapping and a cheat sheet?

So, on with the review

Initial Thoughts

• Good intro cutscene, really reminded me of what i remember from the 360 version. Very cinematic and recognizable characters. Kind of surprised me for the DS (but the only other game I have is Animal Crossing, so I really don't have much of a basis for comparison).

• Feels like final fantasy tactics at first glance after the cutscene. 3D Isometric, shoulder buttons for rotating the camera, D-Pad for positioning the camera.


• I like that it introduces the characters in the party at the start and gives tips for how to effectively use them in combat.
  
  
• Controls were very intuitive and only took mere seconds to play with and figure out. No complexity at all.
  

Yes, so there are the first three thoughts I had. My initial impression is a positive one.

Initial Thoughts Rating: +

Storyline

The second thing I noticed is how story-driven Blue Dragon Plus is. Packed with excellent cinematic cut scenes and story-furthering dialog interspersed with some very strategic real time combat. For those of us that are fans of the Final Fantasy series and can handle lots of dialogue and cut scenes, you'll feel right at home.

The story was engaging and interesting. It built upon the world from the original title and flowed well, much like a comic book or graphic novel. It made sense in context and was well written.

Storyline Rating: +

Gameplay

The real-time combat takes a little getting used to. Most isometric games like this that I am used to (FF:Tactics and even Blue Dragon(360)) were turn based, but when the enemies don't wait for you to pick your action, they just start walking and beating on your characters out of the expected turn sequence, the world flips upside down and its time to build a new strategy.

This is where the simplicity of the controls shines. Three icons on the right side of the screen control party selection. The first is for scrolling through your party individually, the second is for circling the target party members with the stylus, and the third is selecting all party members. Clicking on an enemy sends all selected characters to release whoop-ass. There are two to three icons at the bottom of the screen for each character selected. Special attacks, and medicine for healing. Simply click one with the stylus and combat pauses so you can ensure the target of your spell.

I was easily able to group my combat-oriented members on the enemies to overwhelm them and send the scout out to gather treasure and medicine to keep them alive.

The rest of gameplay is spent reading through the linear storyline and watching the cut scenes, or making minor direction choices that automatically move you to an area occupied by either a monster or a shop. Simplified perhaps too much, but easy to understand and work with.

Gameplay Rating: +

Genre Elements

Blue Dragon Plus is listed as an Action RPG. Combat action is the primary element of gameplay, so I give it a + for that.

The 'Key Points' page of the marketing site boasts "Exciting RPG Elements Such As Item Collection, Character Progression and Robot Customizations".

Fine, let's talk about RPG Elements.

Items are collected and assigned to characters to grant additional stat bonuses and counteract weaknesses or increase strengths.

After combat, characters are awarded experience points and possibly level up. There is nothing to do during level-up. Stat increases are awarded automatically.

I haven't even gotten to the robot customization yet. This intrigues me, and I'm looking forward to it.

But how does it play as an RPG? That depends on your definition of Role Playing Game. I'm a paper and dice RPG'er and text-based RPG'er, which means I have a much different view on role play than WoW or EverQuest RPG'ers. So for me, the RPG element was the weak point of this game.

But as for the Action, Blue Dragon Plus is all about action.

I would say this is a neutral, one plus/one minus, but the RPG portion is listed as "Elements", and not designated as the primary genre, so we'll catagorize it Action.

Genre Element Rating: +

Replay-ability

I know I haven't yet played the whole game through to the end, but in my experience so far, there isn't much to replay. Choices are limited to how you go about taking out the bad guys during combat. All conversation is pre-scripted with no input from the player, so once you've played through to the end, that's it. I'm not one who even re-reads books more than once, so I probably wouldn't play it more than once, but what I have played so far was good.

Replay-ability Rating: -

Summary

Blue Dragon Plus is a good story-driven combat game with some innovative elements in a familiar world. While not a true RPG, it does try to incorporate popular elements to appeal to everyone, and does an okay job. The 30+ hours of playtime is a fresh release in the wake of shorter games, but the complete linearity does not promote replay-ability. More of a graphic novel with combat breaks, but still recommended for fans of the original or similar titles. Having first completed the original is suggested for understanding the back story.

Summary Rating: (4 out of 5)

Blue Dragon Plus
Published by: Ignition Entertainment
Developed by: Feel Plus
Genre: Action RPG
System: Nintendo DS
Rated: E for Everyone
Release Date: February 24, 2009

Blue Dragon Plus images and video care of Rocket XL Marketing.

Dragon Score Image copyright: WarSpider Entertainment LLC, and is used with permission.
DragonClash.com is neither owned or operated by Nintendo and is not
associated with the Blue Dragon Plus product.

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Rating System

I thought it was important to post my criteria for game reviews, what with my review of Blue Dragon Plus coming up.

My video game reviews are rated on elements I look for in a game, and are completely subjective, based on my personal opinion. I try to be fair when writing a review and do my best not to allow outside influences to sway me.

Initial Thoughts - watching the opening cut scene and first impressions of the game.
Storyline - How engaging is the story, how interesting, how well was it written.
Gameplay - Innovation, intuitive, easy to control, any frustrations.
Genre Elements - How well does it meet the claims of the genre.
Replay-ability - Was it worth playing through, would you consider playing it through again.

I realize this isn't everything a game is made of, but it is more at heart to what a game is to me compared to other reviewers that consider more of how it looks and what it sounds like. Graphics and Sound are secondary, and therefore included in the initial thoughts, rather than separate categories.

If you have any questions about my review process, send me email.

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Comic Progress

So, after sketching the first two pages and starting color and ink, it has become painfully obvious to me that if i intend to do a weekly comic i need to further simplify my art. Detailed work is fine when you have a two month deadline and a full team working on it, but i have me and my timetable, which is surprisingly short lately. So, while the story that Skipp, my writer, put together is good, my art is too much and i have to refine.

More to come.

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Comic Status Update

OK, so no, i have not disappeared again for months on end of no posts. I've just been busy. With normal full time work, addition of a code project, and getting things lined up for my comic, its been a little... hectic. I got the first four pages of script from my writer and had to arrange it in "sequential art" format, and i have the sketches done for the first two pages. I prolly won't be starting the comic until i have the first six or eight pages done, or at least sketched, so i can have material to post each week. I'm shooting for once per week, maybe wednesday or thursday posts. I think that's all the time my schedule will allow right now.

in other news, i have been invited, thru contact to this blog, no less, to review Blue Dragon Plus for the Nintendo DS. I have accepted, so should hopefully be receiving my copy soon. That's exciting. I've got the 360 version of Blue Dragon, and really enjoy it. I'm going to post their widget on the sidebar now to get ready.

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Finishing Ella

Ok. here's the finish of Sage's character. She's going with a different name, tho. Didn't want the comic named after her. Prolly in case I do something crazy and totally uncharacteristic so she doesn't get upset. heh.

When I zoomed in real close i found a few mistakes with the color. I'm still learning, so i'm sure i'll get that straight eventually. i need to work on the shading still, too. I've been reading applegeeks for the last few days, and taking a lot of queue's from Hawk's art. (Especially around the 300-ish area)

I know my art will get better as I continue to draw, but I need to simplify it if i'm going to be putting out a color comic weekly. Even when i try to do simple i tend to over-detail. It was difficult for me to make Ella anime-ish in the face. I kept wanting to draw her face exactly to the model, instead of just appearing similar. Working with a writer friend for scripts.

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